so you wanna teach blogging?

A reader of Jenny D sees my comment on her blog, and writes:

I've had my own blog for a few months, and have some ideas about how to incorporate them in my classroom, but I'd love to hear some specifics from you about how you use them in yours. In the comment I read, you stated that your class blogs aren't public, to avoid liability issues. I'd like to know how to set up a private blog - is that done through the school server or intranet? I'm not a technical person, so if those are the same thing, forgive me.

I'd also like to know what you see as some of the benefits and drawbacks to using them in school.

I've used blogs in my English classes for two years now, which places me at pedagogy's leading edge. (For once I am ahead of the times.) Each of my classes has its own group blog, used for discussions, debates, research, and instant publishing. Here are some of my suggestions on how to make blogging an effective addition to your instruction....



1. Set up a class blog with yourself as the administrator. If you're well-connected to your school's IT department, they may have software and server space at the ready so you have a relatively easy time putting it together.

2. If you're techno-savvy and your school's server space isn't accessible, a site like blogger.com is the other way to go. As long as you choose to not ping weblogs.com and not add your blog to blogger's listings, your blog will effectively be private. (You can also set it up so that only members of the blog can comment, closing the fence.)

3. Privacy is important for two reasons. One, it mitigates potential nastiness by the more sinister elements of the online community. Two, it gives shy students the knowledge that although their work is accessible from anywhere they can find an internet connection, it isn't being broadcast for the whole world to see.

4. Set up clear rules for acceptable blog behavior, and remove blogging privileges for students who flout them. A sample:

1. Post only if you are opening a new topic. Reserve your responses to established topics for the comment section.

2. Don't post the same thing more than once. Delete the duplicate if you do.

3. Quote your opponent directly (cut-and-paste, and use italics or "blockquote").

4. Include links to relevant websites--news articles, statistics, etc. Don't just type in the address (the URL).

5. Think before you post. Remember, words "seem" different when typed, since there's no body language, no tone of voice, nothing but the words themselves.

6. Spell-check. People often assume that poor spellers are ignorant, and judge their arguments and writing accordingly.

7. No personal attacks--"You Suck," etc. You'll be banned, at my discretion. The same goes for any non-school-appropriate behavior. Be mature.

5. For assessment and grading purposes, make sure each student's display name includes part of their real name. "Snooky567" won't work if you don't know who "Snooky567" is.

6. Give lots of examples for students to follow. Show them how to link (not just type in a URL), how to quote, how to effectively use italics and bold and colored text, how to write a pithy summary of a news article and comment for discussion, how to format paragraphs in an online environment.

7. Promote an operational vocabulary. Never refer to an individual posting as a "blog."

8. In a secure location, record each username and password. If you aren't blogging frequently, students are prone to forget (mostly because they have thousands of other online identities).

9. Speaking of, blog frequently--at least once every other week. This means you'll have to plan lab time and backups for when technology or fire drills put your pedagogy on hold.

10. Have variety in your blogging assignments. Introduce the technology as a form of instant publishing--have your students write a brief story or essay, or comment on a news article. Don't presume that blogging conversations will supplant normal face-to-face discussion, since students have varying degrees of comfort and success with both.

11. The benefits of in-class blogging are obvious. Many students are unaware of the possibilities, even in our information-saturated age. They'll learn valuable skills, and have the chance to hone their writing for a sympathetic audience in a way that typing essays for the teacher doesn't always provide. They may branch off and start their own blog. Some shy, quiet students will become tigers online. Nine out of ten students will be inherently motivated to participate.

12. The drawbacks are minimal. There may be students who try to abuse the medium. If you don't have clear assignments, they may become frustrated or waste time surfing the web. Again, blogging isn't a substitute for small group or whole class discussions and debates, or for more complex and detailed work.

13. Remember that you are part of the blog as well. Comment on students' work. Share your own writing. Lead by example.

Hopefully these are helpful. Your questions and comments are welcomed.